THE 


METHODIST  QUARTERLY 


JUL  V,  1  8  5  9. 


Art.  V— THE  EARLY  CAMP-MEETING  SOXG  WRITERS. 

There  lies  upon  our  table  a  little  volume  of  which  it  is  probable  there 
are  at  the  present  date  but  few  duplicates.  The  title  is  as  follows  : 
"  The  Pilgrim  Songster  ;  or,  a  choice  Collection  of  Spiritual  Songs, 
from  the  best  Authors.  A  new  edition,  corrected  and  enlarged, 
with  many  Songs  never  before  in  print.     By  Thomas  S.  Ilindc." 

The  volume  is  a  24mo.,  containing  two  hundred  and  forty  pages, 
and  from  the  press  of  Messrs.  Morgan,  Fisher,  and  L'llommedieu, 
Cincinnati.  1828.  This  copy  is  of  the  third  edition  of  the  work. 
The  first  edition  was  published  in  1810,  the  second  in  1815.  It 
appears,  from  remarks  made  by  the  editor  in  the  preface,  that  sev- 
eral editions  had  been  surreptitiously  published  in  Baltimore  and 
Philadelphia.  The  three  Western  editions  reached  a  circulation  of 
not  less  than  ten  thousand  copies,  a  very  large  circulation  for  the 
period. 

We  look  upon  the  volume  with  no  small  degree  of  interest.  The 
binding,  which  was  never  firm,  is  now  nearly  destroyed  ;  the  leaves, 
time-stained,  worn,  and  dog-eared;  but  we  remember  well  the  day 
when  a  dignified  Kentucky  matron,  trembling  with  age,  took  it 
down  from  a  shelf  over  the  high  mantel-piece,  and  entertained  us 
till  midnight,  reading  its  songs,  interspersing  the  reading  with 
remembrances  of  the  days  when  Bishops  Asbury  and  M' Ken  dree, 
and  Burke,  Wilkinson,  Sale,  Lakin,  Taylor,  and  many  others,  long 
since  resting  from  their  labors,  sat  beside  the  same  fire- side,  or 
stood  beside  the  little  stand,  now  preserved  as  a  relic  of  those  days, 
and  preached  the  word  of  life  in  her  humble  cabin.  She  would 
sometimes  say  with  a  sigh  that  she  wished  she  might  see  such 
preachers  again.  Her  wish  has  been  gratified;  she  has  joined 
them  in  the  land  of  eternal  rest. 

9  Ellis,  p.  17. 


402  The  Early  Camp-Meeting  Song  Writers.  [July, 

The  mind  goes  back  to  a  period  in  the  West  when  a  great  spir- 
itual awakening  gave  new  pulsations  to  the  energetic  life  of  its 
thinly  populated  wilderness.  This  book  was  then  a  hoarded  treas- 
ure in  the  cabins  of  those  hardy  settlers ;  in  frequent  use  not  only 
on  camp-meeting  and  revival  occasions,  but  in  the  prayer-meeting, 
the  social  circle,  the  class- meeting,  and  often  in  the  public  congre- 
gation on  the  Sabbath  day,  or  at  the  regular  week-day  appointments. 

The  compiler,  Rev.  Thomas  S.  Hinde,  was  at  that  time  a  resident 
of  Newport,  Kentucky,  and  a  local  preacher  in  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church.  He  was  a  man  of  superior  mental  abilities,  and 
had  received  the  advantages  of  a  good  education,  as  good  as  the 
West  could  at  that  time  afford.  No  one  in  his  day  was  better 
acquainted  with  the  early  religious  condition  of  the  people,  or  more 
interested  in  its  religious  history,  and  he  had  made  it  his  special 
study.  His  sketches,  published  in  the  early  volumes  of  the  Meth- 
odist Magazine  and  in  our  Church  newspapers,  under  the  signa- 
ture of  Theophilus  Arminius,  are  among  the  most  reliable  records 
that  we  have.     He  died  a  few  years  ago  at  Mount  Carmel,  Illinois. 

The  volume  contains  one  hundred  and  twenty  hymns.  Of  these 
nearly  one  half  were,  composed  by  persons  unknown  to  the  com- 
piler. Most  of  these  are  destitute  of  poetical  merit,  but  they  were 
treasured  in  the  memories  of  the  people,  and  were  popular  at  a 
time  when  such  compositions  were  in  great  demand.  The  Wesleys 
and  John  Newton  contribute  each  a  few  hymns,  and  the  remainder, 
more  than  one  third  of  the  whole,  were  composed  by  John  A. 
Granade  and  Caleb  Jarvis  Taylor.  We  propose  furnishing  for  the 
reader  short  sketches  of  these  poets,  with  a  notice  of  their  poetical 
writings,  and  their  relation  to  the  great  camp-meeting  revival  which 
swept  over  the  West  during  the  earliest  years  of  the  present  cen- 
tury. 

I  have  not  been  able  to  obtain  any  information  of  John  A.  Gran- 
ade beyond  a  few  anecdotes,  and  the  very  slight  notices  of  him  as  a 
minister  in  the  "Journal"  of  the  old  Western  Conference.  When 
about  thirty  years  of  age  he  was  admitted  on  trial  into  the  travel- 
ing connection,  at  a  session  of  the  Western  Conference  held  Octo- 
ber 1,  1801,  at  Ebenezer,  in  the  State  of  Tennessee.  He  continued 
in  the  itinerancy  three  years,  traveling  Green,  Holston,  and  Hinck- 
stone  circuits,  each  one  year.  At  the  end  of  his  third  year  he 
asked  and  obtained  a  location,  desisting  from  the  active  ministry 
on  account  of  temporal  affairs.  He  now  settled  in  Southwestern 
Tennessee,  engaged  in  the  practice  of  medicine,  devoting  his  leisure 
hours  to  the  care  of  his  farm.  I  have  never  seen  any  account  of 
his  death,  and  do  not  know  the  date  of  it. 


1859.]  The  Early  Camp-M  3  ng  Writers.  403 

All  accounts  agree  in  representing  Mr.  Granade  as  a  man  of 
vigorous  mind,  much  improved  by  reading  and  observation.  He 
was  deeply  melancholic  in  temperament,  and  of  marked  eccen- 
tricity. His  piety  was  striking,  and  went  Car  in  counteracting  "  a 
hardness  and  stubbornness  in  his  temper"  which  otherwise  was 
calculated  to  give  great  offense,  and  nearly  precluded  his  entrance 
into  the  traveling  connection.  Like  most  of  the  itinerants  of  his 
day,  he  was  ardent  and  zealous  in  doing  good,  for  nothing  less  than 
a  liberal  endowment  of  zeal,  indeed  almost  a  consuming  desire  to 
save  souls,  could  carry  the  itinerant  over  the  large  circuits,  and  ena- 
ble him  to  bear  the  privations  incident  on  his  employment. 

Early  religious  experiences  had  made  a  deep  impression  on  his 
mind,  and  gave  an  almost  unnatural  tinge  to  all  his  exercises  as  a 
preacher  and  poet.  His  first  religious  convictions  were  powerful, 
but  were  resisted  with  all  the  energy  of  his  nature.  Then  fol- 
lowed a  season  of  intense  spiritual  darkness,  and  temptation  from 
which  his  moral  nature  revolted,'  and  for  a  time  he  believed  him- 
self sealed  to  eternal  condemnation  by  the  Holy  Spirit.  Almost 
maddened  by  this  conviction,  the  society  of  men  became  a  burden 
to  him,  and  he  fled  to  the  mountains,  his  despairing  soul  giving 
vent  to  his  agony  in  mournful  songs.  Most  of  his  friends  con- 
cluded that  he  was  hopelessly  insane.  But  in  the  midst  of  it  all 
his  soul  sought  after  God,  and  the  Heavenly  Father  was  not  unmind- 
ful of  his  struggles.  Alone,  upon  the  mountain  side,  as  he  lay  upon 
the  damp  ground,  insensible  to  all  earthly  impressions,  faith  grew 
strong,  and  the  light  from  Calvary  shone  upon  his  path.  Now  the 
light  was  as  brilliant  as  the  darkness  had  been  dense,  the  joy  as 
rapturous  as  the  despair  had  been  distressing,  and  henceforth  he 
sang  of  love,  joy,  and  hope.  That  he,  a  reprobate,  rebelling  against 
God,  had  been  pardoned,  satisfied  his  mind  that  every  sinner  might 
obtain  deliverance;  he  saw  the  value  of  his  new  possession,  and 
desired  all  to  enjoy  it  with  himself.  So  he  determined  to  devote  his 
life  to  the  proclamation  of  divine  mercy,  and  he  became  a  minister 
of  the  "  glad  tidings." 

Caleb  Jarvis  Taylor  was  born  on  the  20th  June,  1763,  in  St. 
Mary's  County,  Maryland,  of  Irish  parents.  He  was  diligently 
instructed  in  the  Roman  Catholic  faith  by  his  parents,  but  it  never 
seemed  to  take  a  firm  hold  on  his  mind  and  conscience.  Although 
he  passed  his  early  life  on  a  farm,  yet  he  obtained  what  was  con- 
sidered a  good  education,  and  left  home  at  the  age  of  eighteen  to 
enter  upon  the  career  of  a  professional  school  teacher.  While  teach- 
ing school  in  Virginia  and  Pennsylvania  he  was  thrown  into  the 
company  of  the  Methodists.     At  first  he  attended  preaching  irreg- 


404  The  Early  Camp-Meeting  Song  Writers.  [July, 

ularly  out  of  curiosity ;  but  the  truth  was  not  long  in  finding  access 
to  his  heart;  he  sought  pardon,  was  converted,  joined  the  Church, 
and  was  soon  after  licensed  as  a  local  preacher.  He  was  not  yet 
twenty  years  old.  In  1792  he  came  to  Kentucky  and  resided  near 
Maysville.  He  at  once  became  known  as  a  superior  teacher,  and 
an  active  local  preacher.  At  the  Western  Conference  of  1810  he 
was  admitted  on  trial  into  the  traveling  connection,  but  at  the  close 
of  his  second  year  he  located.  This  record,  however,  does  not  give 
any  proper  notion  of  the  amount  of  his  labors  in  the  itinerancy ; 
for  during  a  number  of  years  he  served  as  a  supply  to  various  cir- 
cuits in  the  State  of  Kentucky.  His  family  were  too  large  to  be 
fully  provided  for  by  the  scanty  pay  given  to  a  preacher  in  those 
days,  so,  when  he  became  pressed  in  money  matters  he  was  accus- 
tomed to  engage  in  school  teaching. 

His  last  days  were  spent  at  his  home  in  Kenton  County,  Ken- 
tucky, about  sixteen  miles  south  of  Cincinnati.  During  the  greater 
part  of  the  last  year  of  his  life  he  was  subject  to  more  or  less  men- 
tal affliction,  a  deeply  settled  melancholy ;  but  about  a  week  before 
he  died  the  gloom  passed  away,  and,  although  suffering  acute  pain, 
he  departed  in  triumph  to  the  inheritance  of  the  saints.  He  was 
buried  on  an  eminence  in  the  vicinity,  a  spot  which  in  his  lifetime 
had  been  a  favorite  resort,  to  which  he  had  given  the  name  of 
"  Solitary  Hill."  A  willow  twig,  planted  at  the  head  of  his  grave 
by  a  loved  friend,  the  noble  woman  to  whom  I  was  indebted  for  the 
little  volume  under  review,  has  grown  into  a  large  tree  and  droops 
mournfully  over  his  grave. 

Mr.  Taylor  stood  in  high  estimation  among  his  brethren,  not  only 
on  account  of  his  poetical  talents,  but  also  for  his  skill  in  a  species  of 
satirical  controversial  writing,  which  often  produced  greater  effect 
upon  the  early  Western  mind  than  the  most  weighty  argument.  He 
published,  some  time  in  1803,  at  Lexington,  Kentucky,  a  pamphlet 
entitled  "  News  from  the  Infernal  Regions ;"  and  some  years  later, 
"  The  Sentimental  Deist,"  a  series  of  articles  in  the  Fredonian,  a 
weekly  paper  conducted  by  Thomas  S.  Hinde,  at  Chillicothe,  Ohio. 
Never  having  seen  copies  of  these  works  we  can  form  no  judgment 
of  their  literary  ability,  but  they  created  no  small  sensation  at  the 
time  they  were  published. 

As  a  preacher  Mr.  Taylor  was  deservedly  popular  at  a  time  when 
the  Western  Conference  was  not  at  all  deficient  in  talent.  To  a 
character  of  unobtrusive  but  unquestioned  piety,  he  brought  a  clear 
understanding  of  the  Scriptures,  a  very  pleasant  manner  of  speak- 
ing, and  a  sanguine  temperament.  He  not  only  convinced  the 
mind,  but  had  great  skill  in  moving  the  heart,  frequently  exciting 


1859.]  The  Early  Camp-Meeting  Song  Writers.  405 

his  whole  congregation  to  tears.  But  it  was  in  the  public  discus- 
sion of  Christian  doctrines  which  were  a  prominent  feature  of  his 
times — the  defense  of  Arminianism  against  Calvinism,  of  the  three 
modes  of  baptism  against  immersion  as  the  only  mode,  and  like 
subjects,  that  he  was  most  at  home.  He  was  a  cool  and  ready 
debater,  not  hesitating  to  break  a  lance  with  the  most  daring  of  his 
opponents.  Taking  his  position  with  prudence,  and  skillfully 
advancing  his  arguments,  combining  wit,  humor,  and  sarcasm  in  the 
assault,  he  rarely  failed  to  drive  his  opponent  before  him.  A  man 
of  ready  wit,  genial  humor,  and  pleasing  address,  he  surrounded 
himself  with  many  loving  hearts,  receiving  kindnesses  and  impart- 
ing good. 

Singing,  as  a  part  of  divine  worship,  is  not  to  be  considered  a 
device  of  man's  invention,  but  a  product  of  the  activities  of  his  spir- 
itual nature  when  it  disposes  itself  for  worship.  The  hymns  of 
the  Church  are  not  primarily  designed  to  afford  instruction  in  doc- 
trine, but  to  open  a  channel  for  the  expression  of  feeling ;  and  we 
find  that  those  which  the  Church  has  permanently  incorporated  into 
her  devotions  have  been  the  production  of  individual  minds  deeply 
imbued  with  piety,  the  outflowing  of  the  many  phases  of  religious  emo- 
tion, glowing  with  passion  purified  by  the  new  life.  So  it  often 
happens  that  when  singing  has  degenerated  into  a  lifeless  ceremony, 
inherited  from  better  times,  it  has  a  singular  power  to  awaken  in 
the  soul  aspirations  for  a  better  life.  Many  of  the  hymns  which 
the  Church  cherishes  as  a  peculiar  sacred  treasure,  have  been  con- 
demned by  those  who  have  no  personal  experience  of  redemption, 
as  too  sensuous  for  the  worship  of  a  holy,  spiritual  being.  Such 
strains  as  "Jesus,  Lover  of  my  Soul,"  jar  upon  sensibilities  made 
delicate  by  mere  art  culture,  but  they  defy  age  and  criticism,  secur- 
ing a  firmer  hold  upon  hearts  as  the  multitude  increases  whose 
thoughts  and  hopes  are  turned  heavenward.  For  these  hymns  are 
themselves  a  manifestation  of  Christian  life,  and  as  long  as  the  hopes 
and  fears  of  such  a  life  remain,  and  the  love  of  God  lives  in  the 
souls  of  men,  there  shall  not  be  wanting  the  melody  of  song — song 
expressing  itself  in  pleadings  for  pardon  and  choruses  of  joy,  ago- 
nizing cries  for  deliverance  and  rapturous  pcans  of  triumph,  simple 
breathings  of  childish  trust,  and  bold  approaches  to  the  mercy-seat. 

Looking  over  the  past,  we  perceive  that  every  considerable  revi- 
val of  the  spiritual  life  of  the  Church  has  not  only  restored  vitality 
to  singing  as  a  necessary  part  of  worship,  but  has  also  given  birth 
to  hymns  specially  indicative  of  the  most  prominent  features  of  the 
awakened  life.  Generally  the  leaders  of  the  awakening  have  them- 
selves taken  up  the  harp  in  the  interval  of  their  pulpit  labors,  and 

Fourth  Series,  Vol.  XI. — 27 


406  The  Early  Camp-Meeting  Song  Writers.  [July, 

we  are  better  acquainted  with  their  hymns  than  their  sermons. 
What  glorious  songs  gushed  out  of  the  glowing  heart  of  the  great 
German  Reformer,  so  vigorous  in  thought  and  intense  in  feeling  that 
the  present  stupor  and  infidelity  of  his  countrymen  cannot  entirely 
quench  their  fire  nor  entangle  their  soaring.  Count  Zinzendorf  has 
revealed  the  pure  love  of  his  heart,  and  the  self-sacrificing  spirit  of 
his  brethren,  as  they  went  forth  arousing  the  sleeping  missionary 
spirit  of  the  Church,  in  strains  that  all  of  God's  children  at  once 
recognize.  The  great  awakening  in  which  the  Wesleys  were  the 
most  prominent  actors  would  have  been  wanting  in  a  powerful 
instrument  had  it  not  given  birth  to  hymns  that  the  Church  will 
not  cease  to  love ;  and  besides  this  the  Wesleyan  hymns  will 
remain  as  an  undoubted  proof  that  the  Holy  Spirit  dwelt  in  their 
hearts  ;  they  could  not  have  been  produced  by  men  with  unregener- 
ate  souls. 

The  religious  awakening  which  seems  to  have  had  its  rise  in  a 
two- days  meeting,  in  Logan  County,  Kentucky,  under  the  preach- 
ing of  the  brothers  John  and  William  M'Ghee,  in  1799,  and  on 
account  of  its  external  form  is  known  as  the  Great  Camp- Meeting 
Revival,  cannot  be  shown  to  have  been  deficient  in  any  of  the 
unfailing  signs  of  a  genuine  work  of  grace.  It  has,  indeed,  been 
denounced  by  some  as  an  instance  of  the  wildest  fanaticism,  and 
censured  by  others  as  being  more  the  production  of  morbid  enthusi- 
asm than  of  true  spiritual  life ;  but  these  erroneous  and  unjust  judg- 
ments have  arisen  in  part  from  a  hostility  to  the  doctrines  which 
acquired  prominence  during  the  revival,  and  in  part  from  a  failure 
to  view  it  as  a  fact  from  the  right  stand-point. 

The  revival  had  its  origin  in  a  self-denying  effort  to  save  souls, 
made  by  regularly  ordained  ministers  officiating  in  the  regular 
order  of  Church  worship.  Under  plain,  practical  preaching  there 
was  a  manifestly  extraordinary  outpouring  of  the  Spirit  on  both 
preachers  and  people;  its  immediate  effect  was,  in  the  liberty  of 
Western  pioneer  life,  freed  from  all  conventional  restraints,  an  out- 
spoken confession  of  the  work  of  God's  grace  in  the  heart.  Those 
whose  hearts  in  the  exercise  of  faith  were  overflowing  with  joy, 
shouted  the  praises  of  God ;  those  who  trembled  under  a  new  and 
powerful  conviction  of  sin,  sought  mercy  with  weeping  and  groan- 
ings,  each  class  giving  unrestrained  audible  expression  to  their 
emotions.  This  was  from  the  first  an  objectional  feature  to  many, 
and  was  not  encouraged  ;  indeed,  many  and  almost  continual  efforts 
were  made  to  restrain  it. 

The  modes  of  operation  were  also  extraordinary,  and  almost  with- 
out precedent,  yet  they  were   only  former  modes  intensified  and 


1859.]  The  Eddy  Camp-Meeting  Song  Writers.  407 

adapted  to  the  occasion,  the  natural  outgrowth  of  the  circumstances. 

We  do  not  hesitate  to  say  that  no  considerable  revival  of  religion 
could  have  taken  place  in  the  West  in  the  same  period  without 
molding  itself  into  the  form  of  camp-meetings.     The  erecting  of 

tents  upon  the  ground  occupied  for  the  services  was  not  a  precon- 
certed plan,  as  in  the  camp-meeting  preparations  of  the  present  day, 
but  an  inconvenience  in  itself,  into  which  they  were  forced  by  neces- 
sity. The  wide- spread  religious  interest  not  only  caused  greater 
crowds  to  assemble  than  could  occupy  any  meeting-house;  it  also 
presented  the  necessity  of  attending  on  the  services  for  a  longer 
period  than  a  single  day;  but  the  sparse  settlements  could  not 
afford  accommodations  for  so  large  a  number,  and  the  erection  of 
tents  was  the  most  natural  and  convenient  method  to  supply  the 
deficiency.  The  altar  of  prayer  about  the  preaching  stands,  the 
prayer- meetings  in  the  tents,  the  general  class- meetings,  were  all 
so  many  efforts  to  reduce  to  form  and  order  the  remarkable  growth 
and  activity  of  the  work. 

Of  those  exercises  of  devotion  which  were  regular  in  their  form 
none  would  sooner  attract  the  attention  of  an  observer  than  the 
singing.  While  the  style  of  preaching  and  utterances  of  prayer 
gave  unmistakeable  evidences  of  a  new  life,  the  singing  displayed 
the  same  quality  in  greater  degree.  The  style  of  singing  among 
these  hardy  pioneers,  even  before  the  revival,  had  its  peculiarities ; 
it  was  much  more  general  among  the  members,  and  with  more  spirit. 
Frequently  no  one  in  the  congregation  possessed  a  hymn-book 
except  the  preacher,  who  gave  out  the  verses  to  be  sung,  two  lines 
at  a  time ;  many  of  the  hymns,  however,  were  well  known,  and, 
except  in  the  public  congregation,  were  sung  without  the  process 
of  being  "lined"  by  the  preacher. 

At  the  commencement  of  the  revival  those  familiar  hymns,  known 
in  all  our  orthodox  congregations,  were  used ;  but  it  was  soon  felt 
that  they  gave  but  imperfect  expression  to  the  ardent  feelings 
of  the  worshipers.  The  deficiency  here  was  principally  supplied 
by  the  preachers.  Hymns,  or  "  spiritual  songs,"  as  they  were 
more  frequently  called,  to  the  cultivated  ear  rude  ami  bold  in 
expression,  rugged  in  meter,  and  imperfect  in  rhyme,  often  impro- 
vised in  the  preaching  stand,  were  at  once  accepted  as  more  suited 
to  their  wants.  These  were  quickly  committed  to  memory,  and  to 
a  considerable  extent  usurped  the  place  of  the  older  ami  more  wor- 
thy hymns.  The  most  of  these  hymns  are  now  entirely  lost ;  for 
some  of  them  were  never  written  at  all.  Many  of  them  existed  only 
a  short  time  in  manuscript  and  in  the  memories  of  a  few.  The  vol- 
ume before  us  contains  those  that  attained  greater  popularity  and 


408  The  Early  Camp- Meeting  Song  Writers.  [July, 

wider  circulation ;  yet  even  of  these  but  a  small  number  are  to  be 
found  in  collections  formed  for  irregular  revival" services. 

A  random  glance  at  the  contents  of  the  volume  informs  us  that 
the  most  frequent  and  vivid  conception  of  the  Christian  life  in  the 
minds  of  these  hardy  pioneers,  was  that  of  an  active,  vigilant, 
unceasing  warfare.  To  their  glowing  imaginations  they  were  sol- 
diers enlisted  under  the  banner  of  the  cross,  Christ  their  glorious 
and  invincible  leader,  and  eternal  life  in  heaven  the  all-sufficient 
compensation  for  the  toils  and  hardships  of  the  campaign.  They 
had,  indeed,  good  authority  in  their  Bibles,  and  in  the  glowing 
words  of  noble  reformers,  for  such  a  conception ;  but  here  it  is  pre- 
sented in  language  and  completeness  of  analogy  which  seems  not  to 
have  entered  into  the  mind  of  Paul.  But  let  us  not  consider  it  a 
false  conception  on  account  of  the  fullness  of  the  imagery ;  let  us 
not  judge  that  in  the  minds  of  these  earnest  spiritual  soldiers  there 
was  any  confounding  of  spiritual  with  carnal  weapons.  The  mar- 
tial spirit  of  the  Revolution  had  been  kept  alive  and  developed  in 
Kentucky  to  a  greater  extent  than  in  any  other  part  of  the  Union, 
through  the  Indian  wars,  and  many  of  the  elderly  men  who  were 
now  prominent  in  the  revival,  had  shouldered  the  rifle  at  a  moment's 
warning,  and  hastened  to  meet  the  treacherous  foe.  There  was 
much,  too,  in  the  order  and  arrangement  of  the  camp-meeting 
grounds — the  tents  in  a  hollow  square,  the  watch-fires  and  guards 
at  night,  to  suggest  to  the  mind  of  an  old  soldier  the  martial  camp ; 
nor  were  they  without  considerable  persecution  from  those  who 
looked  upon  the  whole  revival  as  an  instance  of  the  wildest  fanati- 
cism.    The  following  is  from  a  hymn  in  this  style  by  Taylor : 

"  Hark !  brethren,  don't  you  hear  the  sound  ? 

The  martial  trumpets  now  are  blowing ; 
Men  in  order  listing  round, 

And  soldiers  to  the  standards  flowing. 
Bounty  offered,  joy  and  peace ; 

To  every  soldier  this  is  given  ; 
When  from  toils  of  war  they  cease 

A  mansion  bright  prepar'd  in  heaven." 


"  The  battle  is  not  to  the  strong, 

The  burden's  on  our  Captain's  shoulder ; 
None  so  aged  or  so  young 

But  he  may  list  and  be  a  soldier. 
Those  who  cannot  fight  or  fly, 

Beneath  his  banner  find  protection  ; 
None  who  on  his  name  rely, 

Shall  be  reduced  to  base  subjection. 


1859.]        The  Early  Camp-Meeting  Song  Writers,  409 

■■  The  battle,  brethren,  is  begun  ; 

Behold  the  army  now  in  motion  ! 
Some  by  faith  behold  the  crown. 

Ami  almost  grasp  their  future  portion. 
Hark  !  the  victor's  (ringing  loud, 

Emanuel's  chariot  wheels  arc  rumbling; 
Mourners  weeping  through  the  crowd, 

And  Satan's  kingdom  down  is  tumbling." 

Generally  the  subjects  of  the  hymns  are  those  doctrines  held 
alike  by  the  whole  orthodox  Protestant  Church ;  there  is  so  great 
a  silence  of  denominational  phraseology  that  no  one  could  tell,  from 
internal  evidence  with  which  branch  of  the  Church  the  authors  were 
connected.  This  is  not  a  source  of  wonder,  for,  although  the  Meth- 
odists  were  the  most  numerous  at  the  meetings,  and  the  services 
under  their  entire  control,  yet  Christians  of  other  Churches  in  great 
numbers  took  a  prominent  part;  some  of  the  most  memorable 
gatherings  were  strictly  union  meetings,  ministers  of  the  Methodist, 
Presbyterian,  and  Baptist  denominations  preaching  in  turn  ;  indeed, 
it  may  be  said,  that  in  all  wide- spread  revivals  denominational 
differences  are  ruled  out  by  the  very  intensity  of  the  interest  to 
save  souls  from  an  impending  ruin. 

We  find  then  in  these  hymns  the  doctrines,  teachings,  and  histor- 
ical facts  of  the  word  of  God  which  have  been  recognized  in  all 
ages  as  the  most  ready  to  arouse  the  sinful  heart:  the  agony  and 
suffering  of  Christ  in  Gethsemane  and  on  Calvary;  the  coming  of 
the  Saviour  a  second  time  to  utterly  overthrow  and  destroy  his 
enemies,  and  claim  his  oppressed,  tempted,  suffering  followers ; 
heaven,  the  abode  of  the  Saviour  and  the  spirits  of  the  blessed,  the 
reward  of  the  servants  of  Christ,  in  whose  presence,  restored  to 
the  loved  of  earth,  and  freed  from  the  assaults  of  Satan,  and  the 
evils  of  earth  and  a  probationary  condition,  there  shall  be  an  eter- 
nal increasing  blessedness ;  hell,  not  conceived  as  a  simple,  moral 
condition,  nor  a  mere  deprivation  of  the  favor  of  God,  but  a  place 
of  actual,  unceasing  punishment,  set  forth  in  fearfully  vivid  lan- 
guage ;  death  is  presented  with  the  greatest  fullness  of  language 
and  figure ;  to  the  wicked  a  foretaste  of  the  consuming  wrath  of 
God  that  shall  devour  all  his  adversaries,  to  the  child  of  God  his 
greatest  and  final  earthly  victory,  when  the  armor  shall  be  laid 
aside  and  the  crown  put  on.  Nor  do  these  hymns  fail  to  present 
that  the  progress  of  the  soul  in  holiness  is  a  necessary  condition  to 
enter  into  the  jo}Ts  of  heaven;  it  was  ever  present  to  their  minds, 
and  we  find  here  groanings  to  be  freed  from  all  inbred  sin,  and  fer- 
vent pleadings  for  the  putting  on  of  the  Divine  nature.  Naturally 
arising  in  this  connection  were  longings  for  heaven  and  its  untold 


410  The  Early  Camp-Meeting  Song  Writers.  [July, 

peace  and  purity.  There  are  some  lines  on  this  subject  by  Granade 
which  have  preserved  their  popularity,  in  the  West  at  least,  more 
than  any  others  in  the  volume.  They  were  written  on  a  sick  bed, 
where  he  lay  prostrated  by  his  ministerial  labors ;  his  friends  gath- 
ered around,  and  all  presuming  that  in  a  few  hours  the  struggle 
would  be  over  and  the  sufferer  attain  rest  from  pain : 

"  Sweet  rivers  of  redeeming  love 

Lie  just  before  mine  eye ; 
Had  I  the  pinions  of  a  dove 

I'd  to  those  rivers  fly. 
I'd  rise  superior  to  my  pain, 

With  joy  outstrip  the  wind ; 
I'd  cross  bold  Jordan's  stormy  main, 

And  leave  the  world  behind. 
*  #  *  *  * 

"  A  few  more  'days,  or  years  at  most, 

My  troubles  will  be  o'er  ; 
I  hope  to  join  the  heavenly  host 

On  Canaan's  happy  shore ; 
My  rapturous  soul  shall  drink  and  feast 

In  love's  unbounded  sea  ; 
This  glorious  hope  of  endless  rest 

Is  ravishing  to  me. 

"  O  come,  my  Saviour,  come  away, 

And  bear  me  through  the  sky ; 
Nor  let  thy  chariot  wheels  delay ; 

Make  haste  and  bring  it  nigh. 
I  long  to  see  thy  glorious  face, 

And  in  thine  image  shine  ; 
To  triumph  in  victorious  grace 

And  be  forever  thine." 

Although  the  camp-meeting  revival  commenced  at  a  meeting 
appointed  for  the  express  benefit  of  Church  members,  it  soon 
acquired  almost  exclusively  the  form  of  an  appeal  to  sinners  to  for- 
sake their  sins,  and,  by  genuine  repentance  and  faith  in  Christ, 
obtain  a  justified  condition ;  for  the  outpouring  of  the  Spirit  upon 
the  assembly  in  Logan  County  produced  simultaneously  a  revival 
of  the  work  of  grace  in  the  hearts  of  believers,  and  a  deep  concern, 
even  intense  conviction  of  sin,  among  the  unconverted.  The  num- 
ber of  this  latter  class  increased  so  rapidly,  and  their  requests  for 
the  benefit  of  the  prayers  and  special  instruction  of  the  converted 
were  so  frequent,  that  the  meetings  soon  assumed  the  character  of 
a  premeditated  design  to  secure  the  conviction  and  conversion  of 
sinners.  The  day  has  passed  away  when  any  denomination  of 
orthodox  Christians  object  to  such  meetings.  Generally  this  class 
of  persons,  mourners  or  seekers  as  they  were  called,  could  be  known 


1859.]  The  Early  Camp- Meeting  Song  Writers.  411 

in  a  small  assembly  by  the  sadness  of  their  countenance,  audible 
expressions  of  grief,  or  the  style  of  their  praying ;  but  -when  the 
assembly  was  a  large  one,  it  was  thought  better  to  invite  them  to 
the  stand  or  altar  for  instruction,  and  to  be  made  a  special  object  of 
prayer  by  the  whole  assembly  of  Christians;  from  this  arose  the 
use  of  the  "mourner's  bench."  No  one  supposed  there  was  any 
real  virtue  in  this  arrangement,  yet  it  was  soon  noticed  that  those 
who  came  forward  seemed  to  be  greatly  benefited ;  the  simple  act 
of  coming  forward  separated  the  sinner  from  his  old  associates,  and 
was  accepted  as  a  declaration  that  he  had  chosen  to  be  "  on  the 
Lord's  side;"  and,  better  than  this,  he  was  surrounded  by  hearts 
having  confidence  in  the  power  of  prayer.  So  it  became  the  usual 
custom,  when  the  sermon  was  concluded,  an  invitation  was  given  to 
all  "  seekers,"  and  they  were  exhorted  in  the  strongest  language  to 
use  this  means  of  grace.  When  they  came  forward  to  the  altar  the 
whole  interest  of  the  services  centered  at  this  point.  The  hymns 
sung  were  selected  with  care,  with  the  design  of  encouraging  and 
instructing  the  seeker  in  the  way  of  mercy.  Many  of  the  hymns 
in  this  volume  are  especially  designed  for  this  service,  and  they 
thoroughly  refute  the  charge  that  the  penitent  was  instructed  to 
place  more  confidence  in  this  than  any  other  means  of  grace.  The 
crucified  Saviour  is  invariably  presented  to  the  soul  as  the  only 
and  the  all-sufficient  aid  to  salvation,  "the  Author  and  the  Finisher 
of  faith."     Here  are  two  selections  from  Granade : 

u  Think  on  "what  the  Saviour  bore, 

In  the  gloomy  garden, 
Sweating  blood  at  every  pore 

To  procure  thy  pardon  ; 
See  him  stretch'd  upon  the  wood, 

Bleeding,  grieving,  crying; 
Suff'ring  all  the  wrath  of  God, 

Groaning,  gasping,  dying! 

"  Pore  not  on  thyself  too  long, 

Lest  it  sink  thee  lower, 
Look  to  Jesus,  kind  and  strong, 

Mercy  join'd  with  power. 
Ev'ry  work  that  thou  must  do, 

Will  thy  gracious  Saviour 
For  thee  work,  and  in  thee  too, 

Of  his  special  favor." 


"  'Tis  done  !    the  dreadful  debt  is  paid. 
The  great  atonement  now  is  made  ; 
Sinners,  on  me  YOUr  guilt  is  laid, 
For  you  I  spilt  my  Mood; 


412  The  Early  Camp-Meeting  Song  Writers.  [July, 

For  you  my  tender  soul  did  move, 
For  you  I  left  my  courts  above, 
That  you  the  length  and  breadth  might  prove, 
The  depth  and  height  of  perfect  love, 
In  Christ  your  smiling  God." 

Taylor  is  no  less  bold  in  the  offer  of  mercy  to  the  penitent  soul, 
pointing  to  Jesus : 

"  Mourners,  see  your  Saviour  stand 

With  arms  extended  to  receive  you ; 
See,  he  spreads  his  bleeding  hands  ! 

Come,  venture  on  him,  he'll  relieve  you ; 
Cast  your  fears  and  doubts  aside ; 
The  door  of  mercy  opens  wide  ; 
The  fountain  flows  that  saves  from  sin, 
Come,  now,  believe  and  enter  in ; 
Don't  distrust  your  blessed  Saviour, 
Now  believe  and  live  forever." 

We  find  here  also  a  class  of  hymns  of  almost  unprecedented  pop- 
ularity forty  and  fifty  years  ago,  which  are  not  now  thought  proper 
for  praise  in  public  worship — hymns  containing  the  personal  religious 
experience  of  the  writer.  Taylor,  having  been  educated  in  the 
Roman  Catholic  faith,  gives  one  of  several  hymns  of  this  class  the 
quaint  title  of  "  The  Converted  Roman."  From  one  of  Granade's 
we  learn  that,  having  been  converted,  he  became  careless,  was  led 
astray  through  temptation,  and  was  for  a  time  in  despair,  but  at 
length  was  enabled  to  rejoice  again  in  his  Saviour. 

Both  Granade  and  Taylor  were  men  of  bodily  affliction.  Gran- 
ade  several  times,  led  on  by  his  intense  zeal  to  save  souls,  nearly 
destroyed  his  life.  Each  of  them  dictated  lines  to  their  weeping 
friends,  as  they  stood  in  the  presence  of  death.  The  verses  of 
Taylor  have  no  lack  of  confidence  in  God,  the  good  Shepherd,  who 
goes  down  with  him  into  the  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death;  but 
they  are  tinged  with  his  usual  melancholy.  But  Granade  rises  on 
wings  of  faith,  and  seeing  no  terrors  in  the  dark  grave,  exults  in 
the  prospect  of  heaven.     He  describes  himself  as 

"  A  pilgrim  on  his  dying  bed, 

With  glory  in  his  soul ; 
Upward  he  lifts  his  longing  eyes 

Toward  the  blissful  goal ; 
While  friends  and  children  weep  around, 

And  loathe  to  let  him  go, 
He  shouts  with  his  expiring  breath 

And  leaves  them  all  below." 

There  are  a  few  of  these  songs  which  contain  such  animated 
descriptions  of  the  scenes  at  the  altar  that  there  can  be  no  doubt 


1859.]  The  Early  Camp-Meeting  Song  Wrtiers.  119 

they  were  composed  on  the  ground.  The  language  of  these  descrip- 
tions rather  falls  below  than  above  the  reality,  it*  we  accept  the  state- 
ments of  many  who  were  present.  Taylor  described  such  a  scene 
in  the  following  verses  : 

"  Sinners  through  the  camp  arc  falling; 

Deep  distress  their  souls  pervade, 
Wond'ring  why  they  are  not  rolling 

In  the  dark,  infernal  shade. 
Grace  and  mercy,  lone  neglected, 

Now  they  ardently  implore ; 
In  an  hour  when  least  expected 

Jesus  bids  them  weep  no  more. 

14  Hear  them  then  their  God  extolling, 

Tell  the  wonders  he  has  done ; 
While  they  rise  Bee  others  falling  ! 

Light  into  their  hearts  hath  shone. 
Prayer,  and  praise,  and  exhortation, 

Blend  in  one  perpetual  sound; 
Music  sweet,  beyond  expression, 

To  rejoicing  saints  around." 

A  number  of  these  "  spiritual  songs  "  still  find  a  place  in  various 
collections  of  hymns  designed  for  the  social  worship  of  Christians ; 
but  we  have  never  seen  an  instance  in  which  the  authors'  names 
seem  to  have  been  known  to  the  compiler.  It  would  be  no  more 
than  justice  to  them  to  have  that  credit  which  an  author  may 
always  claim.  Some  of  them  have  been  mangled,  others  improved, 
by  compilers,  until  the  writers  themselves  would  be  puzzled  to 
recognize  them.  Although  but  few  of  these  songs  have  been 
accepted  by  the  Church,  they  are  not  to  be  despised  nor  forgotten, 
for  they  assisted  in  a  great  revival,  the  influence  of  which  is  clearly 
discerned  after  the  lapse  of  half  a  century.  Then  they  brought 
comfort  to  many  a  bleeding  heart ;  they  made  vocal  thrills  of  joy 
and  groans  for  redemption,  which  else  had  been  prisoned  voiceless 
in  the  heart.  To  some  of  theso  songs  thousands  of  voices  have 
given  musical  utterance,  in  unison,  until  the  hills  and  valleys  seemed 
also  to  waken  and  join  in  the  strains  of  praise  to  Jesus,  the  Redeemer 
of  earth.  Those  who  delighted  in  their  words  now  sing  a  "  new 
song,"  in  unbroken  melody  and  faultless  accents,  to  which  song  all 
hymns  of  man's  composing  shall  at  last  yield. 


414  The  Rich  Man  and  Lazarus.  [July, 


Art.  VL-THE  RICH  MAN  AND  LAZARUS. 

To  develop  the  most  important  truths  of  Luke  xvi,  19-31,  its  dis- 
cussion will  be   conducted  with  the   following  general  divisions : 

1.  The  objections  which  have  been  urged  against  interpreting  it 
as  teaching  a  consciousness  of  punishment  after  death  answered. 

2.  The  expositions  of  it  which  regard  it  as  not  teaching  such  a  con- 
sciousness refuted.  3.  Additional  evidences  that  it  teaches  such  a 
consciousness  presented. 

I.  The  objections  which  have  been  urged  against  the  considering 
of  this  passage  as  teaching  a  consciousness  of  punishment  after 
death  answered. 

1.  One  of  those  objections  is,  that  such  a  consciousness  is  con- 
trary to  justice.  It  cannot  be  proved  that  the  Omniscient  Gov- 
ernor does  not  see  that  a  greater  aggregate  of  moral  advantages 
will,  in  his  interminable  government,  exist  if  all  men  of  a  certain 
reprehensible  character  shall  be  everlastingly  "  tormented,"  than 
would  in  it  exist  if  even  the  most  reprehensible  should  be  exempt 
from  everlasting  "torments."  It  also  cannot  be  proved  that  he 
does  not  see  that  that  involves  no  injustice  from  which  can  arise, 
in  that  government,  the  greatest  possible  aggregate  of  moral  advan- 
tages. An  inability  to  see  justice  in  the  pain  inflicted  by  the  gov- 
ernment of  the  Infinite  Governor  on  an  innocent  lamb  is  alone 
sufficient  to  show,  in  no  small  degree,  that  no  human  being  is  author- 
ized to  say  that  nothing  that  appears  to  him  to  be  contrary  to  justice 
can  exist  in  that  government.  Accordingly,  to  infer  from  an  inabil- 
ity to  see  justice  in  everlasting  "  torments,"  that  a  guilty  creature 
who,  throughout  at  least  the  last  part  of  his  earthly  existence, 
refuses  or  neglects  to  "repent,"  will  not  be  everlastingly  "tor- 
mented," is  at  least  more  hazardous  than  it  would  be  to  infer,  from 
an  inability  to  see  justice  in  the  temporal  sufferings  experienced  by 
infants  that  die  before  they  have  arrived  at  years  of  accountability, 
that  no  such  infant  has  ever  suffered.  Besides  this,  to  say  that  the 
Infinite  Creator  is  more  obliged  to  prevent  the  deserving  of  ever- 
lasting "  torments  "  than  that  of  temporal  ones,  is  absurd ;  since,  if  a 
creature's  disobedience  against  him  could  deserve  only  temporal 
"  torments,"  then  by  enduring  the  deserved  temporal  "  torments," 
the  creature  would  no  sooner  merit  his  release  from  them  than 
he  would  impose  on  the  Creator  an  irresistible  obligation  to  give 
him  that  release;  and  thus  the  Infinite  Creator  would  become 
an   involuntary  debtor,  not   to   obedience,   but   to    the    creature's 


METHODIST 


QUARTERLY    REVIEW. 


18  5  9 


VOLUME  XLI.-FOURTH  SERIES,  VOLUME  XL 


D.   D.  WHEDON,   D.D.,  EDITOK. 


N  t  to   13  o  r  k  : 
PUBLISHED    BY   CARLTON    &    POETEE, 

200     MULBERRY-STREET. 

1859. 


COx\TENTS   OF  VOL.  XLI.-1859. 


JANUAKY    NUMBEE. 

ABTICLE  PAGE 

I.— INFANT  BAPTISM  AND  CHURCH  MEMBERSHIP 5 

By  Ecv.  Gili;i:i:t  Haven,  Boxbury,  Mass. 

IL— BRAZIL  AND  THE    BRAZILIANS 26 

By  Rev.  T.  M.  EDDY,  Chicago,  111. 

III.— BR  V  A  NT'S  POEMS 41 

By  Professor  Robi  bx  Ai.lyx,  Ohio  University,  Athens,  Ohio. 

IV.— THOMAS  .1 EFFERSI  >N 59 

By  Jami.s  P.  EuBxnre,  Esq.,  WUliamsport,  Pa. 

V.— UN1TAS,  FRATRUM  -Til E  MORAVIANS 73 

By  G.  P.  Disosway,  Esq.,  Richmond,  Staten  Island,  N.  Y. 
VL— STEVENS'S  HISTORY  OF(  METHODISM 87 

By  Joseph  Holdicu,  D.D.,  New  Turk. 

VII.— THOMAS  WALSH,  i with  a  Portrait) 106 

By  Abf.l  Stevens,  LL.D.,  New  York. 

Vm.— EXPOSITION  OF  THE  SECOND  PSALM 118 

By  Rev.  BtKPHKH  M.  Vail,  D.D.,  Biblical  Institute,  Concord,  N.  H. 

IX.— RELIGIOUS  INTELLIGENCE 130 

X.— SYNOPSIS  OF  THE  QUARTERLIES 135 

XI.— QUARTERLY  BOOK-TABLE 147 


APRIL    NUMBER. 

I.— SOME  ACCOUNT  OF  COKESBURY  COLLEGE 173 

By  Eev.  "William  Hamilton,  Baltimore,  Md. 

TL— DBUGS  as  an  INDULGENCE  (Second  Article) 188 

By  Rev.  J.  Townley  Crane,  D.D.,  Jersey  City,  N.  J. 
EI.— THE  MORAL  THEORY  OF  THE  BIBLE  AND  OF  PHILOSOPHY 

HARMONIZED 205 

By  Professor  C.  K.  True,  "Wesleyan  University,  Middletown,  Conn. 
IV.-RELIGIOUS  CATALEPSY 218 

By  Eev.  Silas  Comport,  East  Bpiingfield,  N.  Y. 
V.— THE  LIFE  OF  SIR  JAM  ES  M  A.CE  INTOSH 228 

By  Eev.  II.  E.  Hempstead,  Lynn,  Mass. 
VI.— HAVEN'S  MENTAL  PHILOSOPHY 240 

By  Eev.  J.  Dempster,  D.D.,  Evanston,  Illinois. 
VII.— OLSllAl'SKVS  NEW  TESTAMENT  PSYCHOLOGY 254 

Vm.— MISSIONS  IN  AMERICA  (Third  Article) 265 

By  Eev.  D.  D.  Lore,  Newark,  N.  J. 

IX.— THE  WILL  OF  GOD •. 288 

By  Eev.  George  Bush,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 

X.— RELIGIOUS  INTELLIGENCE 801 

XL— SYNOPSIS  OF  THE  QUARTERLIES 308 

XH.— QUARTERLY  BOOK-TABLE 314 


CONTENTS. 


JULY    NUMBER 

ARTICLE  PAGE 

L— LATIN  LEXICOGEAPHY 341 

By  Professor  S.  D.  Hillman,  Carlisle,  Pa. 
H.  — ST.  PETER  THE  ROCK 361 

By  Professor  M'Cabe,  Ohio  "Wesleyan  University. 
m.  —SAMUEL  LEWIS 376 

By  J.  C.  Harding,  A.  M.,  New  York. 
IV.  —  A  HALF  CENTURY  OF  UNITARIANISM 386 

By  Eev.  H.  W.  Warren,  Boston,  Mass. 
V.  —  THE  EARLY  CAMP-MEETING  SONG  WRITERS 401 

By  Rev.  B.  St.  James  Fry,  "Worthington,  Ohio. 
VI.  —  THE  RICH  MAN  AND  LAZARUS  (Fiest  Article) 414 

By  Seneca  "Wieting,  A.  M.,  Fort  Plain,  N.  Y. 

VH.  — PARKERISM 433 

By  Eev.  Fales  H.  Newhall,  Roxbury,  Mass. 

VHL  —  EXCURSUS  ON  THE  SEVENTH  COMMANDMENT 455 

By  Zechariah  Paddock,  D.  D.,  Binghamton,  N.  Y. 

IX.  —RELIGIOUS  INTELLIGENCE 465 

X.  — SYNOPSIS  OF  THE  QUARTERLIES 472 

XL  — QUARTERLY  BOOK-TABLE - 477 


OCTOBEE    NUMBER 

L— LEWES'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY  OF  PHILOSOPHY 513 

By  Eev.  Oliver  S.  Munsel,  A.M.,  President  of  Illinois  University. 

II.— HUGH  MILLER 530 

By  Eev.  E.  H.  Howard,  Ashland,  N.  Y. 

HI.— WESLEY  AS  A  MAN  OF  LITERATURE  (Second  Article) 548 

By  Eev.  G.  F.  Playter,  Frankford,  C.  W. 

IV.— HENRY  WADSWORTH  LONGFELLOW 568 

By  J.  F.  Eusling,  Esq.,  Trenton,  N.  J. 

V.— BUDDHISM 586 

By  Herman  M.  Johnson,  D.D.,  Dickinson  College,  Carlisle,  Penn. 

VI.— CANNIBALISM  AND  CHRISTIANITY 601 

By  Eev.  Erwln  House,  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 

V1L— THE  RICH  MAN  AND  LAZARUS  (Second  Aetiole) 614 

By  Seneca  Wieting,  A.M.,  Fort  Plain,  N.Y. 

VIH.— THE  MORAL  CONDITION  OF  INFANTS 632 

By  F.  G.  Hibbard,  D.D.,  Auburn,  N.Y. 

IX.-RELIGIOUS  INTELLIGENCE 650 

X.— SYNOPSIS  OF  THE  QUARTERLIES 656 

XL— QUARTERLY  BOOK-TABLE 659 


